[Completed] Corvin/Mordred/Kasper Adventure 1: Battleaxe Gang

[Edeldhur]

Mordred

Mordred listened carefully to Geraint's assessment, nodding in agreement. "Hiding our symbols won't be a problem," he replied, tucking his starburst amulet beneath his tunic. "We'll have to rely on speed and confusion to catch them off guard."

He glanced at Corvin, acknowledging his point, then turning his attention back to the group. "Kasper and I will bring up the rear."

Nodding firmly, Mordred made sure his bandages were secure one last time, readying himself for the task ahead. "Let's move. The sooner we start, the better our chances."

I am assuming Sebastian and Kasper have no objections in hiding their symbols?

[archolewa]

Haven't heard anything from ybn, so we'll continue under the assumption he has no problems with this plan.

Geraint takes a nervous breath, and leads the four into the tower, Sebastian and Corvin right behind him, Mordred and Kasper lagging a bit behind. He pulls the door open, the door swinging quietly on well-oiled hinges. The sounds of a boisterous, good-natured argument assaults their ears as they go into the tower. They are standing at the north end of the entrance hall/cloak room. Two light crossbows hang on the wall near the door, along with a pair of quivers holding several quarrels. Worn cloaks hang in the northeast corner, partially obscuring a heavy wooden bar that can be dropped over the door. The floor is wooden and dirty, covered in boot prints from the Battleaxe Gang. To the west is a curtained area. "Pantry," murmurs Geraint. "One of two ways into the kitchen. The other..."

He gestures across the entry hall to an arch in the south. They can see a spiral stone staircase, the stone steps bathed in flickering orange light. The firelight spills into the dim entry hall, along with the loud arguing of two gruff male, human voices.

Geraint leads Sebastian and Corvin (at least, not sure how how far back Mordred and Kasper want to hang) through the southern door, and into a small stairwell. The stone spiral staircase dominates the well, but an archway to the west (i.e. their right) leads into what is clearly the kitchen. The staircase goes both up, and down. Two thugs are sitting at a table in the kitchen, next to the fireplace. A pot of stew bubbles happily over the fire, filling the room with a succulent smell.

"Jaze, Kepler," said Geraint hesitantly.

The two look up at Geraint, and leap to their feet.

"Geraint, the hell?" said one. "Who're they? Where's Tom?"

"Oh, he's back there," said Geraint, waving vaguely behind him. "We were out collecting protection dues, when we ran into these fellas trying to move in on our turf. Tom thought maybe it'd be better to let 'em join, what with our successes lately, than risk a fight, you know?"

Actions?

[Edeldhur]

Mordred

ybn has been posting in other threads, so that is weird.

Mordred hung back slightly, as planned, his senses heightened and ready for action. He observed the scene unfold with keen eyes, noting the thugs’ immediate suspicion. Geraint's quick thinking bought them a precious few seconds, but Mordred knew they had to act fast to maintain the upper hand.

He subtly adjusted his stance, ensuring his weight was evenly distributed, ready to move at a moment's notice. His fingers flexed slightly, ready to cast if needed, but he kept his expression calm and his movements minimal to avoid drawing attention prematurely.

He glanced at Kasper, giving a slight nod, signaling readiness. They had to be swift and precise. The time for stealth and deception was about to end, and action was imminent.

Basically allowing Shaidar to take the lead on this one, as Mordred cannot knock people out.

[shaidar]

Corvin

As the group approaches the tower Corvin does his best to remain calm as he feels his heart start to race with the excitement.

He whispers to Sebastian "We'll need to try and keep them off guard to get close, I'll try some friendly small talk. Once we're in position the attack word will be onion, unless of course they sus us out then we'll just have to wing it"

On entering the tower he feels much happier when he realises that they will be between the thugs and the stairs. As they pass through the archway to the kitchen he catches Sebastian's gaze and indicates the man to the left with the tiniest of nods, while moves towards the man on the right.

He does his best to project friendliness and calm on the outside, while on the inside he can feel himself tensing ready for the fight. As the talks he closes with the man...

"Hey, I'm Victor. From what we've been told you've got a good thing going here. Our old gang was pretty useless, run by an idiot. Benny and I were in the same unit, before we, um, retired, if you get what I mean. We're both pretty good fighters, we'll be assets, that's for sure, just give us a chance to prove ourselves "

[archolewa]

Charisma (Bluff) check, with a -1 penalty. On the one hand, Geraint adds a lot of credibility to Corvin's lie. On the other, this is highly irregular, and these two could get in a lot of trouble if they let in people who aren't supposed to be here.

So, 1d20+12-1 = 13 < 20


The two men exchange a look and draw their swords.

"Tom you idiot," called one of the men, looking towards the pantry, the vague direction Geraint had gestured when asked about Tom. "Hrek and Hrek alone's supposed to bring in new recruits. Now do what you should have done already, and kill 'em!"

One of the men will attack Corvin, while the other will attack Sebastian. Sebastian will attack the one attacking him with his blackjack, while Geraint will attack the one attacking Corvin with his short sword.

Actions please. Note that the downstairs isn't all that big, and everyone is close enough to close into melee and attack this round if they wish.

[shaidar]

Corvin

"I guess I shouldn't go into acting" Corvin thinks to himself as he lunges towards the man, snarling, and attempts to knock him out.

Initiative: [1d20+2]=19+2=21

Unarmed Strike (vs armed): to-hit: [1d20+2]=2+2=4, Dmg: 2 (+KO?)

[ybn1197]

Kasper, praying that things go well and their way but preparing for things to go south, claps his knuckles together; the cesti ringing out a sound Kasper was very comfortable with. He takes a couple of quick steps towards the nearest guard and make a couple of quick jabs.

Initiative: [1d20]=16

Attack: [1d20]=13 Damage: [1d3]=1
Attack: [1d20]=19 Damage: [1d3]=1

[Edeldhur]

Mordred

Apologies, did not realize it was my turn!

Mordred waits for a split second to see if Sebastian will be able to knock out his opponent - if not, he attacks.

Initiative: [1d20]=1
Attack (Bastard Sword 2h): [1d20+3]=13+3=16 Damage: [1d8+3]=7+3=10

Basically delaying to go after Sebastian, and attack if his companion does not knock the thug out. Not sure if that is possible?

[archolewa]

Basically delaying to go after Sebastian, and attack if his companion does not knock the thug out. Not sure if that is possible?

There's no rule that says anything about being able to delay your turn. However, there is the concept of a character having "lost initiative," typically by making a Smash attack at higher levels or using a two-handed weapon. So I think it's reasonable to say that a play may choose to lose initiative. So you'll go after everyone else (including the villains) who haven't lost their initiative.

The game explicitly allows you to cancel your action when it's time to take it. You can't *change* it, or switch targets or anything, but you can cancel it. So I think it's perfectly reasonable to forgo your attack if Sebastian knocks the enemy out, and attack otherwise.

Initiative:
Corvin = 21
Kasper = Sebastian (1d20+1) = 16
2 Thugs = 15
Geraint = 11
---Lost ---
Mordred (delay) = 1

Corvin strikes first, his fist lashing out with the speed of a striking snake, 2+7 = 9 < 20 but the thug was already backpedaling, reaching for his sword, and he just managed to stay out of Corvin's reach.

Kasper charges past him, and lashes out with his fists 13 + 7 = 20, 19 + 7 = 26 > 20. damage = 1, 1, thug takes 2 damage. The thug flinches, catching the first blow on his shoulder, grunting in pain. The thug gets his sword up, partially deflecting Kasper's gauntleted fist, though the force of the blow wrenches his arm.

Meanwhile, Sebastian swings his blackjack at the thug squaring off with him 1d20+1 = 8+7 = 15 < 20. The thug ducks the swing, and comes up with sword drawn, thrusting it at Sebastian's chest 1d20+1+5 = 12 < 20. Sebastian easily catches the thrust on his shield.

The thug attacked by Corvin and Kasper feints at Kasper to drive him back a step, then pivots and thrusts at Corvin 1d20+1+7 = 11 < 20, but Geraint suddenly lunges past Corvin and thrusts at the thug, forcing him to scramble back in surprise. 1d20+1+7+2(thug caught off-guard by Geraint's attack) = 19 < 20. The thug barely deflects Geraint's attack. "Geraint! What the hell?"

"I'm tired of always doing the wrong thing," says Geraint.

Finally, Mordred charges out of the shadows, and swings his sword at the thug facing off with Sebastian. 16+7 = 23 > 20, damage = 10, thug has 5 HP. The thug sees Mordred too late, and doesn't even have time to scream before being cut down by the Magic-User's blade.

Alright, one thug is down! Morale check! I'm gonna give him a -4 penalty because he's gone from thinking he's got his enemies outnumbered at least 3 to 2 (Mordred and Kasper hung back, so he really only got a clear look at Corvin and Sebastian, if saw or heard those two he assumed they were the other thugs who went out with Geraint), to being outnumbered 1 to 5, plus one of his buddies has turned on him, and the other just got killed by a hulking fellow in high quality armor wielding a very nice sword. 1d20+13-4 = 11 < 20.

The thug looks around, and then drops his sword, holding up his hands. He speaks in a quiet voice, barely above a whisper. "I surrender."

The kitchen suddenly goes silent, no sounds come from upstairs...yet.

Everyone gets 20 XP / 4 (I'm not treating Geraint as a proper henchman with XP and levels, so he doesn't get a share of XP) = 5 XP. Sebastian gets half (2.5 rounded up to 3) since he is a henchman.

[shaidar]

Corvin

Corvin looks relieved that none of his friends were hurt in the fight. He glowers at the guard and quietly says "If you don't give us any trouble then you'll get out of this alive."

He then looks around for something to bind and gag the man with.

[archolewa]

Corvin

Corvin looks relieved that none of his friends were hurt in the fight. He glowers at the guard and quietly says "If you don't give us any trouble then you'll get out of this alive."

He then looks around for something to bind and gag the man with.

There is some rope hanging on the wall in the kitchen, plus some cloaks back near the door.

The bandit holds up his hands. "You could, you know. Just let me leave. I'll go out that door, run away and not look back. Maybe get on one of those ships heading across the Bay, sounds like some lord is wanting folks to go up there. Well away from all of you and the rest of the Gang."

[Edeldhur]

Mordred

"Maybe we let you go, but only after all this is over" - he snarled at the man, then moved to keep watch while Corvin ties and gags him.

"We have two options now - wait for Hrek to send someone down here, or come himself. Or rush upstairs" - he told the others.

I say we wait while securing the captive, and if no one comes, we need to go up.

[shaidar]

Corvin looks at the guard

"You will be released unharmed once we are done here, but for now you will be secured."

While he goes about securing the guard he says to the group:

"Once this one is secured, I say we head up and try to catch Hrek by surprise. Better that than trying to fight him on the stairs."

[Edeldhur]

Mordred

"Lets do that" - Mordred agreed - "We need to act decisively and not waste precious time"

[archolewa]

Corvin looks at the guard

"You will be released unharmed once we are done here, but for now you will be secured."

While he goes about securing the guard he says to the group:

"Once this one is secured, I say we head up and try to catch Hrek by surprise. Better that than trying to fight him on the stairs."

I need to know ordering, as well as how you want to approach. Do you want to try to be stealthy, or charge up at full speed?

[Edeldhur]

Mordred

"I can take the lead" - Mordred nodded resolute at Corvin, casting a protective spell and preparing to rush up the stairs.

Casting Protection from Evil. duration is 2 hours.

This spell creates a barrier an inch away from the caster’s body that
protects the caster from various creatures.
No creature that is magically summoned, controlled, charmed or
possessed can touch the caster.
Neither can any creature that can only be hit by magical weapons.
Such creatures can still throw or shoot things at the caster.
Additionally, all attacks against the caster are at a –1 penalty to hit
and the caster gets a +1 bonus to all saving throws for the duration
of this spell.

I suggest Mordred > Corvin > Geraint > Kasper > Sebastian.

[archolewa]

Mordred Protection From Evil: 2 hours
"OK, so when you get upstairs, you'll be in a long common room, stairs continue up to the third floor. Two doors on the wall on our left. First one opens into the barracks, it will have three men, including the two Hrek recruited today. Second door leads to Hrek," says Geraint as they take up position.

Mordred nods. He chants a soft song of protection: a great fortress overlooking a village, a shield held by a stalwart heart, a wall manned by courageous soldiers fighting for life and liberty. His voices rises as he sings, his deep baritone reaching a crescendo. As the final note crashes against the walls, he charges up the stairs, sword held ready at his side. Corvin follows, then Geraint, with Kasper and Sebastian bringing up the rear.

The burst into the common room, and sprint down the hall. Mordred kicks down the door leading into Hrek's room and charges in. The room is long and narrow, and there's really only room for three men to swarm around Hrek's bed and swing a sword. 1d6 = 4 ! Hrek is surprised

Hrek jerks awake, but by the time he can lift his head, Mordred, Corvin and Geraint have swarmed around him, while Kasper grabs the barracks door and holds it shut, Sebastian positioned next to him with his blackjack ready.

Geraint is going to attack with his short sword. Hrek will reach for his sword, lying on the wall next to him, and shout for help. Kasper will hold the door to the barracks closed, while Sebastian looks on.

Actions please!

[shaidar]

Corvin

As the group rushes up the stairs Corvin's heart pounds, and he embraces the exhilaration of it. He follows Mordred into Hrek's room and heads straight for the figure on the bed. "The hunt is almost over, there will be justice for Wendy." he thinks to himself.

With his prey in front of him he lets out a low growl. His instinct is to draw blood, but he reigns it in and attempts to knock the man unconscious, hoping to end the fight quickly.

[Edeldhur]

Mordred

Initiative.

Initiative: [1d20]=7

Actions.

Mordred rushes to kick the sword away from the reach of Hrek, and growls - "You have but one split second to think this through - do not move a muscle, do not even open your mouth, or you die screaming"
If the man reacts in any way that might even remotely be considered by Mordred as anything else apart from surrendering, he will attack.
Attack (Bastard Sword 2h): [1d20+3]=12+3=15 Damage: [1d8+3]=1+3=4

[archolewa]

Initiative:
Corvin: 1d20+2 = 10
Mordred: 7
Geraint: 1d20 = 3


As Hrek stirs, Corvin strikes at him with his fist 1d20+2+9+4(prone) = 24 > 20, damage=1+1 = 2, knockout = 1d20+9-4(prone) = 12 < 20. Corvin's fist strikes the man across the temple and he slumps, unconscious. He will wake up in 1-100 rounds.

Geraint and Mordred both check their attacks as Hrek slumps.

"Looks like won't be moving any muscles," quips Geraint to Mordred.

Meanwhile, a ferocious barking erupts from the upper floor, the dogs, likely disturbed by the sound of Mordred kicking the door down. They can also hear cries of surprise from the room the south.

Hrek is out, but you're not sure for how long. Dogs are barking upstairs, and the men in the barracks room are awake. Actions? Also, everyone gets 15/4 = 3.75 rounded up to 4 XP for taking out Hrek. Sebastian gets 2 since he's a henchman.